Discovery: noise is not less dangerous than the toxic waste

Researchers often talk about an environmental pollution with toxic waste and its negative effects on a human. However, many people forget about so-called noise pollution, "Rossiyskaya Gazeta" writes. Meanwhile, this type of pollution is no less dangerous than, for example, the dirty air.
It is known that people, who live next to airports and highways, are more likely to suffer from heart disease, strokes and die before their time. So, every 10 decibels (dB) increase the risk by 7-17%. In turn, the World Health Organization (WHO) says that prolonged sound exposure at the level of 55 dB and above (for example, a conversation or a slow traffic) is able to increase the pressure or trigger a heart attack.
According to the scientists, the sound gives a sense of danger and it is an evolutionary mechanism.

As a result, stress hormones occurred (epinephrine, norepinephrine, cortisol). As we have already mentioned a high level of these hormones is associated with a whole set of diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome, headaches, insomnia, high blood pressure and infertility. By the way, noise pollution may be encountered in the office. As Cornell University proved, the women who worked at open-type offices have increased levels of adrenaline and a decreased motivation to work. It is also known that children, who grew up in a noisy environment, have problems with reading, language skills and the ability to memorize information compared to their peers.

In addition the noise leads to weight gain. Swedish experts say that starting from the level of 45 dB, every additional 5 dB correlate the increase of waist circumference by 2 mm. But in the silence, the brain starts to produce new cells such as neurons of the hippocampus which are responsible for memory and learning skills.

Source MEDdaily